Living with Anxiety

Worry and overthinking, two simple words that hold so much space in your brain.

Do you experience panic attacks too?

Maybe you ask a lot of questions. Maybe you hate problems without solutions. Maybe you like staying busy, because when you don't, you get overwhelmed with thoughts.

Maybe you keep going in circles asking your therapist “WHY?”.

Maybe you make quick conclusions with little information, you expect the worst out of situations, and you make predictions with catastrophic outcomes. Maybe when you feel out of control, you're on edge and you can get a bit aggressive. Your anxiety is your nervous system fired up into fight or flight mode.

Maybe growing up, you used to cry at school, regularly. Maybe you have all sorts of symptoms and you have to make frequent trips to your doctor - from headaches to stomach aches and nosebleeds with no medical explanation.

Below are some other signs of anxiety : 

• Avoid going out so you don't have to talk to strangers.

• Rescheduling appointments or canceling last minute with friends.

• Avoiding phone calls and hate working in groups.

• Body focused repetitive behaviour : scratching, hair pulling, body checking etc. 

• Physical pain and tension : clenching jaw, tight shoulders, sore muscles

• Expecting the worst scenario at all times

• Ruminating over your mistakes

• Fear confrontation and arguments

• Insomnia, change in appetite 

• Decision paralysis

• Analyzing, rationalization, micro-managing

• Plan A, B, C, D, E, F…

• Never ending to-do list

• Other physical symptoms : cold-sweats, shaky hands, foggy brain, nausea, fast heartbeat, etc.

People often ask me, is it normal to have anxiety? Yes, to some degree. Anxiety is an alarm system to dangerous or stressful situations. The difficulty is when some people have a very high anxious baseline and a low tolerance to uncertainty…it creates a storm. 

It's important to remind yourself that your fears are only thoughts - they do not always fit reality. Intrusive thoughts, while uncomfortable, are not dangerous. When we have no control over a situation, it is important to practice something called radical acceptance.

What can help is progressive exposure to situations that are anxiety-inducing, going to therapy, practicing meditation and yoga, using grounding techniques and coping skills. It's important to learn to give yourself reassurance and not rely solely on outside validation as avoidance of triggers only reinforces anxiety over-time.

So here’s your reminder that you don’t need to fall into the trap of anxiety. You can acknowledge it without believing it!